The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
by Fantasy Fish
Summary: The eternal winter is all Cyrus has ever known of Narnia. And when the prophecy starts to come true, she has to piece together her faith in four children no older than herself and help them defeat the White Witch.
1. Chapter 1

Racing through the snow, Cyrus squinted as flakes fell upon her face and muzzle. She left paw prints in the deep sheet of white as she tried to keep herself from slipping. Her heart pounded within her chest, and her sides heaved with breaths. The cold air stung her throat with each sharp inhale and exhale. She made a quick turn and kicked up a bunch of snow as she did so. Despite her markings and movements, she blended in with the snow. A shiver went down her spine despite her thick white coat.

Soon, her destination was in sight, and she knocked on the small wooden door with a paw, glancing around at the silently falling show. She quickly knocked again, and the door opened, revealing a faun with brown curly hair and kind eyes.

"Cyrus? What are you doing here?" he asked as she stepped inside and shook the snowflakes from her fur.

"Is it true? What I heard, is it true?" she asked eagerly, looking at Tumnus with an enthusiastic gaze. She trailed him across his little home and to his kitchen.

Tumnus chuckled. "Well, that depends. What did you hear?" He filled a teapot with water as he spoke.

"I heard you met a Daughter of Eve! Did you or not?"

Tumnus froze, staring at Cyrus wide-eyed. She stared back at him with a smile, but it faded when he did not return it. "W-where did you hear that?" he asked. Panic edged into his tone and he swallowed hard.

"Tumnus? What's wrong?"

"Where did you hear that, Cyrus?" he asked seriously. His voice was low, as if there were someone else around to hear, and his eyes held fear within them. Cyrus hesitated.

"Mr. Beaver and Badger were talking about it. I don't know where they heard it," she explained. Tumnus closed his eyes for a moment taking a deep breath. "But you never answered my question," she prompted. "Did you really meet a Daughter of Eve?"

"Yes." He closed his eyes and choked on the word a little.

Cyrus gasped and grinned. "Tumnus! Don't you know what this means? This means the prophecy will be fulfilled! They're going to save us from the Witch's rule!"

He gave her a sad smile. "I dearly hope so."

"I don't understand. What's wrong?"

"You do know the Witch's orders, don't you?" Tumnus asked. Cyrus nodded. "And the penalty for disobeying her. I'm sure you know that well." She nodded again, avoiding the thoughts that came flooding back, but she still didn't see his point. Tumnus sighed and sat down in a chair in front of the fireplace. "If more than just I know that the Daughter of Eve was here, they're going to come for me. The Witch must know by now."

Cyrus then realized the issue. She and Tumnus shared a saddened gaze. "I won't let that happen," she insisted. Tumnus sadly smiled at her determination.

"Cy--"

A loud, fast knock came to the door. Tumnus stood and crossed the room. He cautiously opened it and found Mr. Beaver stood there panting as if he had just run all the way from his home.

"The police are on their way!" he exclaimed. "Hurry, we can hide you at my place before they show up if we're quick!"

A very close by howl rang out through the forest, alerting the three that the police, a band of wolves whom served the White Witch, were on their way.

"We won't have time," Tumnus said, shaking his head. "You two get out of here quickly."

"No, I'll stay and fight them," Cyrus offered.

"Are you crazy?!" Mr. Beaver said, throwing his paws in the air. "Come on!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Cyrus just short of shouted at Tumnus.

"Go!" He shouted. She flinched. His expression softened and he placed a hand on Cyrus's shoulder. "I'll be okay."

She backed away slowly nodding. She felt a pang of guilt when she lowered her head and looked to Beaver. They started out the door.

"Oh, Beaver, wait," Tumnus said. The pair turned. Tumnus gave Mr. Beaver a wadded piece of white fabric. "If you see them, give this to the littlest girl. Her name is Lucy Pevensie."

Beaver nodded in understanding before he gestured to Cyrus. She didn't have time to question Tumnus before she and Mr. Beaver hurried off in the opposite direction of the police. Cyrus was already regretting leaving her closest friend to be killed by the Witch's wolves. She tried not to think about it as she and Mr. Beaver fled back toward the dam.

Once they were a decent distance away from trouble, they slowed their pace to a walk.

"You alright, love?" Beaver asked. Cyrus did her best not to snarl. She kept her head low and didn't respond. He nodded and took her silence as a no.

"We shouldn't have left," she mumbled. "What kind of friend am I to do that to him?"

"Cyrus, he's gonna be alright. The Kings and Queens are returning!"

She took interest in her paws as she dragged them through the snow. The dam was now in sight despite the thick white flakes that obscured it from this distance.

"Well they haven't come soon enough."

Mr. Beaver lay a paw on her striped shoulder. She flicked an ear at him. "C'mon Cyrus, have a little faith. This whole winter thing is hard on everybody."

"No! We left Tumnus to die there! And unless they can stop the police from taking him now, they haven't come soon enough."

Beaver dropped his head with a sigh. "Look, love," he came to a stop. "Not all is lost. This isn't over yet. In fact, I have a feeling it's just the beginning." He launched into some long speech about having faith in Aslan and how everything happens in time. All Cyrus could think was her best friend was likely about to be executed if she didn't do something. She felt a fire spark within her. A fire that made her feel not quite angry, but ready to fight. The fire made her want to bear her teeth, to tear the muzzle off of a wolf. The fire spurred her to go back for Tumnus before it was too late.

"…It's something unexplainable. It's like a-"

"Beaver," Cyrus cut in, "I'm sorry but I'm going to stop you there. Don't come looking for me." And with that she took off in the direction which they had come. She was going to save Tumnus.


	2. Chapter 2

Cyrus ran as fast as her legs would carry her back to Tumnus's home. The longer she thought about tearing apart those wolves, the faster she thought she felt herself run.

When she had finally reached the house, it was far too quiet. Her heart sunk a little. It dropped to the ground when she saw his door had been broken down.

"Tumnus..." she whispered before she rushed inside to find the whole place disheveled and destroyed as if there had been a fight. That pang of guilt came back as she looked around her friend's home. This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't left him. A notice marked with a red paw print caught Cyrus' eye and she crept forward to read it.

 _The faun Tumnus is hereby charged with--_

Cyrus heard footsteps and voices approaching. She gasped and hid under a large overturned basket off to the side of the door.

"He's the most wonderful faun you'll ever meet!" A small voice exclaimed. As it came closer, it said, "And he has lots of..." and trailed off.

"Lu?" a deeper voice asked. "Lucy!"

There was a great deal of shuffling and several sets of feet entered the home. Cyrus guessed maybe three or four.

"The faun Tumnus is hereby charged with High Treason against Her Imperial Majesty, Jadis, Queen of Narnia, for comforting her enemies and fraternizing with humans. Signed Maugrim, Captain of the secret police. Long live the queen," the deep voice from before read.

"I think we should really go back," a new voice advised. This one was smooth and feminine, but more mature than the little voice.

Cyrus tried to peek between the weaving in the basket to see who it was, for the littlest voice sounded somewhat like Mr. Otter's daughter. To her dismay, the figures in the doorway were distorted by the weaving in the basket and the light that shone behind them made them silhouettes. They looked like they wore great furry coats which confused her further.

The little voice spoke up. "What about Mr. Tumnus?"

"If he was arrested for being with a human, I don't think there's much we can do," the more grown up voice said calmly.

"You don't understand, do you? I'm the human!" The little one fired back. "She must have found out he helped me!"

"Maybe we should call the police," the deep voice offered.

"These are the police," the feminine voice reminded.

Cyrus poked her nose out from under the basket, standing and flipping the basket in the process. "She's right, they won't help you," she said, shaking her fur a little and watching the basket roll away. She looked back to them, "but I know somebody who can."

She took in the sight of the four children before her. The eldest was blond, and he didn't look much older than fourteen. There were two girls, the more mature, feminine voice must have belonged to the older one, she probably wasn't much younger than the blond boy. Cyrus figured the little voice must have belonged to the littlest girl. The one who stood out to Cyrus was the younger boy. He seemed to purposely place himself a little detached from the rest. They all froze upon the sight of her, and the blond boy stood in front of the rest as if he were protecting them.

"Everyone back away slowly," the eldest instructed quietly. He started backing with the rest of his group.

"Oh, no, I'm not with the Witch. You can trust me," Cyrus assured.

The more she spoke, the more the kids seemed to fear her.

"Tell me I'm not the only one who heard that," the older girl murmured, her voice shaking a little. "That tiger spoke, right?"

"Please, Tumnus is in trouble," Cyrus spoke, "you're supposed to help us."

"You know Mr. Tumnus?" The littlest one asked. She stopped backing away when Cyrus nodded.

The eldest followed the example of the little girl; he even took a step forward.

"Be careful, Peter," the older girl warned.

The eldest, who she assumed was Peter, opened his mouth to say something.

"Cyrus!" Mr. Beaver's unmistakable voice called. He scurried up to the beaten down door, panting. "Thank goodness...you're okay..." He leaned on the doorframe heavily and tried to catch his breath. He seemed to just now notice the four children before him. They all turned to look at the beaver. "Lucy Pevensie?" he asked the little one. She stepped forward.

"Yes?"

Beaver handed Lucy the wadded piece of white fabric.

"Hey, that's the hanky I gave Mr-"

"Tumnus." Beaver's tone was somber. "He got it to me just before they took him."

Lucy shifted the handkerchief between her little hands. "Is he alright?"

Mr. Beaver looked left and right. "Further in," he said a little quieter. He scurried off, and the children stepped outside. Cyrus walked past them and jogged to catch up with Beaver. He acknowledged her approach, but didn't speak.

"I was too late, Beaver," Cyrus said, dropping her head. "They had already gone by the time I got there."

Beaver nodded. He gave a saddened smile. "I should have expected you to go back," he chuckled. "But it's okay, the kings and queens are here. They're gonna help him. They're gonna help all of us."

Cyrus glanced over her shoulder and stopped. The four children all stood around talking, though it appeared to be more of an argument. "Not if they all stay back there." Cyrus caught one of them say, "They're animals! They shouldn't be saying _anything_!"

Beaver scurried back to the little group; Cyrus trailed him.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

Peter nodded. "Yes. We were just talking."

"That's better left for safer quarters," Mr. Beaver advised.

"He means the trees,"Cyrus put in.

The odd little group began heading toward the beaver dam to warm up and eat supper. Lucy introduced her other siblings as Susan and Edmund. They held polite conversation, but the trip was still awkward and quiet.

The dam started growing on the horizon. Smoke rose from the chimney and there were lights lit inside. Mrs. Beaver poked her head out the door.

"Beaver, Cyrus, is that you?" she called, waddling forward. "I've been worried sick! If I find out you've been with Badger again... I- Oh!" She met the approaching group where they were. "Those aren't badgers. I never thought I'd live to see this day!" She looked at Beaver with her hands on her hips. "Look at my fur!" She preened herself a little. "You couldn't give me ten minutes warning?"

"I'd give you a week if I thought it would help," he quipped. Cyrus laughed softly. She let herself inside and settled by the fire. The Beavers arranged three of the Pevensie children around the table, while Edmund kept his distance. He gave himself a seat on the stairs.

"Isn't there anything we can do to help Tumnus?" Peter asked on behalf of Lucy.

"They'll have taken him to the Witch's house. And you know what they say; few who go through them gates come out again."

Cyrus ambled over to Edmund. She crossed her front paws and looked at him. "You've been real quiet this whole trip."

"Well I haven't exactly had anything to say," he denounced. "I'm convinced this is all a dream."

Cyrus persisted. "Edmund, right?" He nodded. "It's okay. I didn't believe it at first either." She laughed a little. "It's okay to be skeptical. Definitely keeps you from getting hurt. You're from England, aren't you?"

He nodded. "I am...but how did you--"

"I'm from the other place too," she answered, sitting upright. "People would travel the whole world just to come visit me and my family."

"Like the zoo?" Edmund looked at her with curiosity.

She nodded. "Yeah. They just loved seeing the white tigers. My father told me stories of Narnia. He would tell me he lived here when he was young." Cyrus glanced at the kids crowded around the table. Edmund hesitated before he asked another question.

"So what happened to them? Your family?"

Cyrus lowered her head. "Um, they went away. It's a long story."

He thought for a bit. "But if you were from the zoo how did you get here?"

She shrugged. "Just kinda happened. I don't really recall the exact details. I met the Witch though." She felt a chill go down her spine just thinking about it.

"And?" Edmund prompted.

Cyrus took a deep breath. "She tried to enslave me. She deceived me and hurt me. She is very wicked."

"She can't be that bad!" Edmund blurted. Cyrus recoiled a little. "I mean, what would she really do?"

She hesitated. "Nothing." She perked up a little when she said, "You four will save us, though."

"Us four?"

"Listen," Cyrus hushed. She turned her attention to the conversation at the table which had gotten strangely quiet.

"...Aslan is on the move," Mr. Beaver nearly whispered.

"Who's Aslan?" Edmund asked, stepping forward. His eyebrows knit together and he looked to his siblings when Mr. Beaver burst into a fit of laughter. Cyrus would be lying if she said she hadn't snickered a little.

"'Who's Aslan'! You cheeky little blighter!" he giggled. Mrs. Beaver nudged him with an elbow. His laughter died down. "You don't know, do you?"

"Well we haven't exactly been here very long," Peter justified.

"He's a great lion," Cyrus began. "The Great Lion, actually. He's--"

"He's only the king of the whole wood!" Mr. Beaver cut in. "The top geezer! The--"

"The real king of Narnia!" Cyrus finished. Her enthusiasm built with each passing moment. She felt that maybe, just maybe, there was hope for Narnia.

"He's been away for a long while," Mrs. Beaver piped up.

"But he just got back!" Mr. Beaver brandished his paws and gestured to the children. "And he's waiting for you at the Stone Table!"

The conversation's liveliness died down when Lucy asked for clarification. Cyrus was just excited enough that she almost didn't notice Edmund slip away. She quietly padded after him.

"Edmund! Where are you going?" She called after him. He glanced over his shoulder, shivering. He must have left his coat inside.

"Nowhere," he replied, and kept walking.

"You're gonna freeze out here! Are you crazy?"

Edmund glanced at the two hills. Cyrus followed his gaze. There was a great icy castle perched between them. The White Witch called it her house. Cyrus had visited there several times too many. Suddenly it donned on her. She ran back inside, where Edmund's siblings were standing and looking around the room.

"I'm gonna kill him," Peter growled.

"You may not have to," Cyrus said lowly.

She looked to Beaver, who asked, "Has Edmund ever been to Narnia before?"


End file.
